HBO has given a straight-to-series order (Deadline) for a series based on author Audrey Niffenegger’s 2003 best-selling novel The Time Traveler’s Wife from former Doctor Who head writer/producer Steven Moffat. The story follows a romance between Henry, a man who has a disorder that results in him randomly traveling through time, and his wife Clare who has to deal with his disappearances and the danger he is often in.

In fact, Moffat said that the Doctor Who episode “The Girl in the Fireplace” was a result of him reading the novel – and apparently Niffenegger took notice. “When, in her next novel, Audrey had a character watching that very episode, I realized she was probably on to me,” he said. “All these years later, the chance to adapt the novel itself, is a dream come true. The brave new world of long form television is now ready for this kind of depth and complexity. It’s a story of happy ever after – but not necessarily in that order.”

Moffat, Sue Vertue and Brian Minchin will executive produce for Hartswood Films in conjunction with Warner Bros Television. The novel was previously adapted into a film in 2009 starring Eric Bana and Rachael MacAdams.